ALERT: American Da Vinci Code in Lower Manhattan Wall
From The Committee for the Preservation of Historic Pearl Street
(917) 862 7910
For images & history, see http://www.historicpearlstreet.com/
MYSTERIOUS ARTIFACT TO BE REMOVED FROM PEARL STREET, NYC
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS CONTINUE ATTEMPT TO BREAK AN AUTHENTIC AMERICAN “DA VINCI CODE”
A mysterious brickwork artifact found within an 1832 Pearl Street warehouse at the heart of the city’s first world trade center has baffled and gripped international scholars in recent years. It will now be removed and stored on February 2nd at 10am, until its planned reinstallation within a new Liberty Bond funded development at the site.
The 38” x 126” wall installation features two inverted pyramidal forms that point into a bold center triangle, with layers of unassuming refinements arranged in the deceptively simple design. Historical research on the lower Manhattan symbol has been presented at conferences in The Hague, The Netherlands and UC Davis, CA in recent years.
The esoteric novelty is located at 211 Pearl Street (between Maiden Ln and Platt St.), a warehouse built in 1832 for the soap maker William Colgate, founder of Colgate-Palmolive. However, questions have been raised about its date, with some suggesting a more recent year. Experts have been inconclusive on the question, so an analysis of mortar samples from inside the wall installation will be retrieved during removal and analyzed at the scientific laboratories of the MET.
The Committee for the Preservation of Historic Pearl Street along with CB1 and Council Member Alan J. Gerson’s office are working with the owner of the property, Rockrose Development, to remove the unique artifact with the least damage. But the only plan approved by the owner has been brick-by-brick dismantlement, an approach that Marco Pasi, a leading specialist in the field of esoteric studies at the University of Amsterdam, considers “…shocking in light of its cultural and architectural value”.
But even among preservation contractors, the removal of an old layer of brickwork in-tact is an unusual procedure. Only one contractor, the esteemed Conrad Schmitt Studios of Milwaukee, has submitted a bid – with no guarantee of success. A compromise plan to try and remove the wall in sections is now being explored, but time is running out – the developer’s dismantlement deadline is now Friday, February 2nd.
The controversy swirling around the symbol has largely been divided between two theories. Is it just a ‘glorified pipe chase’, constructed by a latter day workman, or an ‘architectural gem’- possibly the signature of America’s leading early 19th century architect. The key to breaking part of its code may lie in the mortar, or as some have speculated, possibly something hidden inside the wall. Whether the question will be answered or it will remain a New York mystery may be revealed on Friday, February 2nd at 211 Pearl Street.
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